man?" that I should say out loud, "No,
_Mother_,"--and whisper to myself, under my breath, "this morrow,"--the
which should make it perfectly true. And right glad was I to hear of
this most neat and delicate way of saving the truth, and yet not
uttering your secrets.

SELWICK HALL, NOVEMBER YE XXII.
If Mistress _Helena Louvaine_ could ever hold her peace from saying just
the very matter that I would give her a broad shilling to be quiet on!
Here, now, this even, when all we were sat in hall, what should she
begin with, but--

"_Father_, there is a thing I would ask at you."

"Say on, my maid," quoth he, right kindly as his wont is: for _Father_
is alway ready to counsel us maids, whensoever we may desire it.

"Then, _Father_," saith she, "what is falsehood? Where doth it begin
and end? Put a case that I am talking with _Alice Lewthwaite_, and she
shall ask me somewhat that I list not to tell her. Should I commit sin,
if I told her but the half?"

"Hardly plain enough, my maid," saith _Father_. "As to where falsehood
begins and ends,--it begins in thine heart: but where it ends, who shall
tell but God? But set forth thy case something plainer."

"Well," saith she, "suppose, _Father_, that _Mother_ or you had showed
to me that _Wat_ was coming home, but had (for some cause you wist, and
I not) bidden me not to tell the same. If _Alice_ should say `Hast
heard aught of late touching _Wat_, _Nell_?' must I say to her plain, `I
cannot answer thee,'--the which should show her there was a secret: or
should there be no ill to say `Not to-day,' or `Nought much,' or some
such matter as that?"

"Should there be any wrong in that, _Father_?" saith _Edith_, as though
she could not think there should.

"Dear hearts," saith _Father_, "I cannot but think a man's heart is gone
something wrong when he begins to meddle with casuistry. The very
minute that _Adam_ fell from innocence, he took refuge in casuistry.
There was not one word of untruth in what he said to the Lord: he was
afraid, and he did hide himself. Yet there was deception, for it was
not all the truth--no, nor the half. As methinks, 'tis alway safest to
tell out the plain truth, and leave the rest to God."

"_Jack Lewthwaite_ said once," quoth _Edith_, "that at the grammar
school at _Kendal_, where he was, there was a lad that should speak out
to the master that which served his turn, and whisper the rest into his